Tibetan Ting-Sha: Sacred Sound for Spiritual Growth

Tibetan Ting-Sha[rating:.5/5]

Need I say more? This “book” is about the worst I’ve ever read – and I’ve read plenty. Not only that but the tingshas that are included are of the worst quality: in fact, they’re so bad that it’s embarrassing. I’ll review both (the book and the tingsha) to warn others about this substandard drivel:

Tingsha – as already noted, of that absolute worst quality. The sound that mine make are horrible (and that’s putting it mildly) – I’d rather listen to fingernails on a chalkboard. The tingsha that included are covered with eight auspicious symbols – most traditional instruments are unadorned. Of course, that makes them look “pretty” but that has nothing to do with quality – which these are not.

Book – very little is actually devoted to the discussion of tingshas and the little that is, is filled with errors and meaningless drivel. A closer look reveals that the book is merely filled with fluff and absolutely no substance. In fact, very little of the book pertains to tingshas; rather it contains rambling discussions on the “eight auspicious symbols,” other cultures (Indian, Chinese, etc.) other than Tibet, and other non-related information.

The errors and false information provided are astounding; examples include:

Page 10 – [the tingshas included with the book] are “pitched in approximately the key of E major.”

Facts: a pair of resonating objects (such as found in a tingsha) cannot be tuned to E major or any other diatonic Western scale – the author’s claim that they are is simply STUPID! Furthermore, each cymbal that came with my book is “tuned” to F# and G respectively which, of course, makes the author’s statement even more absurd.

Page 13 – “each individual ting-sha [sic] is skillfully tuned . . . to create a perfectly matching pitch for each pair.”

Fact: As noted above, my tingsha was not “perfectly matched” when; in fact, they were “tuned” to a minor second, one of the most dissonant intervals to the human ear! In other words, they sound awful!

Page 32 – “Musical prodigies, such as Mozart and Beethoven. . .”

Fact: Huh? What? Mozart is; of course, a well known prodigy, Beethoven, on the other hand, most certainly was NOT! Duh!

Pathetically, because the author is clueless as to what he was supposed to be writing about (he’s certainly NOT a scholar), he rambles on about topics ranging from Edgar Allen Poe to Feng Sui to add fluff. It’s too bad that he provides very little about Tibetan tingshas and most of what is mentioned, is just garbage. Avoid this nonsense at all costs – you’ll be glad you did.

Seven Years in Tibet

Seven Years in Tibet[rating:5/5]

Seldom do real-life adventures touch the human soul as deeply as this masterful account of an adventure into a wonderful land. Heinrich Harrer describes his escapes from a British internment camp in India and subsequent quest to the Forbidden City of Lhasa. Written in the first person, Harrer paints a surprisingly human account of his journey, as well as those he met along the way – including, of course, his eventual connection with the Dalai Lama. This book is completely unpretentious and pays considerable respect to the Tibetan culture.

Note: This book bares almost no resemblance to the movie by the same title – it is FAR better than the movie. It’s a real shame that the movie deviated so greatly from this great adventure. While one must despise the evil that China has, and continues to, perpetrate upon “modern” Tibet, Harrer’s account may provide the best account of what that country was before the communist destruction of a culture that had so much to offer the world.

Gospel of Judas, The

[rating:5/5]

This book was, simply put, absolutely fascinating. It contains the recently re-discovered Gospel of Judas Iscariot and consists of the gospel; along with three well-written and accessible essays by the researchers who brought this document back to life.

To be honest, I’m amazed that there are those who criticize this book based upon their beliefs as to whether or not this book, or shall I say, the Gospel of Judas, has merit as historical fact. The authors; themselves, do not display such bias and approach the work from a clearly scholarly angle.

My only criticism is that the editors need to do a better job with proofing the text prior to printing as there are numerous errors (and rather sloppy ones, at that) throughout the book. Even so, the Gospel of Judas should appeal to anyone with a serious interest in early Christian writings.

Secret Supper: A Novel

The Secret Supper: A Novel[rating:4/5]

I found this book to be a rather intriguing read. While it seems that reviewers on Amazon either love it or hate it, I suspect that this may be due to several factors:

1. It’s not the easiest book to follow due to the large number of characters and their “foreign” (mostly Italian) names. I found myself having to read and reread much of the material just to keep take of the characters.

2. The book was originally written in Spanish. My gut feeling is that the person(s) who translated this novel into English may not have done justice to the book.

3. The topic of the book; itself, requires a certain amount of background knowledge prior to reading it. If this is the case, some may have found it to be dry and boring.

Personally, I found the book quite interesting – especially once I got into the story.

Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land

Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land[rating:5/5]

Just finished this fascinating book. Arguably, it appears to be the most honest (i.e., authentic) book on Tibet that I’ve yet read. The author shares his journey into modern Tibet and provides interviews the numerous people he mets. He examines the evils of the communist takeover, including the horrors perpetrated upon millions of innocent souls by Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other monsters.

Consistent with ethical authors who are concerned with reporting facts, rather the create propaganda to support their own view, French tells it like it is – including such things as the flawed policies of the American government to support the communists in pursuit of the almighty dollar, rather than standing up for the freedom of those (i.e., Tibetans) oppressed by the communists. Richard Nixon’s visits to China were discussed and Henry Kissinger’s vile actions were simply unconscionable.

While it is clearly evident that the author has a long history of supporting the Tibetan cause, he also discusses problems inherent with the Tibetan government-in-exile that have aggravated their own cause. Sadly, the author maintains that the mistakes that have already been made will not be resolved until the massive problems within the Chinese (not Tibetan) regime are toppled.

I would highly recommend this book to those interested in this topic.